Have you written to the city about interim regulations yet?
Now is a great time to contact our City Council Members and advocate for putting these regulations in place as soon as possible.
On Wednesday, October 4, the Planning Commission is expected to review and finalize their recommendations to the City Council regarding the interim regulations that could potentially stop any new fossil fuel facilities from being built during the subarea planning process.
Feeling like you need a little more background information first? Please take a look at this post about interim regulations in Tacoma.
While we don’t yet know what the Planning Commission will recommend after receiving 81 verbal and approximately 200 written comments (pg 70 of agenda), the city staff have outlined their recommendations which can be read in great detail in the meeting agenda packet. The outline of the proposed interim regulations, quoted directly from page 73 of the packet (and with page numbers indicated by us for additional detail), is the following:
- Expanded notification for heavy industrial uses city-wide that require a SEPA determination or discretionary permit; (see page 43)
- Pausing certain new non-industrial uses within the Port of Tacoma MIC and placing limitations on expansion of existing uses during the interim period; (see pages 47 – 54)
- Pausing new residential platting and subdivision of land along Marine View Drive and pausing new residential development in the S-11 Shoreline District and C-1 and C-2 Commercial districts along Marine View Drive during the interim period; (pages 37, 44 and 64)
- Pausing certain new heavy industrial uses city-wide and placing limitations on expansion of existing uses during the interim period. (page 55)
Point 4 concerns the fossil fuel facilities we would like to see banned.
The city staff recommends including all of these categories (from page 55 of the agenda):
- Coal terminals or bulk storage facilities
- Oil, or other liquefied or gaseous fossil fuel terminals, bulk storage, manufacturing, production, processing or refining of oil or other liquefied or gaseous fossil fuels
- Chemical production, processing, or bulk storage
- Smelting
- Mining and quarrying
- Animal slaughter
- Rendering
- Iron and Steel works
- Metal recycling
- Pulp, paper and paperboard mills
- Grain terminals and bulk storage
Unfortunately, despite the requests made by so many at the public hearing, the city staff have not included a complete ban on expansion of currently existing fossil fuel facilities – they have instead proposed limiting expansion to 10% over the entire duration of the interim regulations. (pg 55)
Feel free to attend the meeting if you wish to stay informed, however public comments on this topic are not allowed.
Wednesday, October 4
5 PM
Council Chambers
Tacoma Municipal Building
1st Floor 747 Market Street
Tacoma, WA 98402
So now is a good time to keep emailing our City Council Members about the importance of implementing the interim regulations as soon as possible and with no expansion of fossil fuel facilities allowed.
Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Marilyn.Strickland@ci.tacoma.wa.us
Council Member Anders Ibsen, anders.ibsen@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Robert Thoms, robert.thoms@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Keith Blocker, keith.blocker@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Marty Campbell, marty.campbell@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Joe Lonergan, joe.lonergan@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Lauren Walker Lee, lauren.walkerlee@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Conor McCarthy, conor.mccarthy@cityoftacoma.org
Council Member Ryan Mello, ryan.mello@cityoftacoma.org